The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 389: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

DOCTOR DUPONT’S ESTABLISHMENT — 363 unfortunate princess was always destined to suffer from the seeming imprudence of her generosities, her very virtues thus raising, as it were, the voice of accusation against her. So was it in the case of Bergami, whom through motives of goodness she took into her service, and so also was it now in the case of the two young ladies whom through the sincerest commiseration she placed at her own expense in Doctor Dupont’s lunatic asylum. Suspicious people, and those who were fond of gossiping and scandal-mongering, shook their heads knowingly, saying, “‘ After all, the princess must have done something in which these girls were her confidantes, otherwise she would not now provide for them so handsomely. But she doubtless fears that if she abandons them altogether, they would turn around upon her if ever they recovered their reason, and would proclaim all they knew. But to continue our tale. It was, as we have already hinted, about six weeks from the admission of Agatha and Julia into the asylum, and about two months from the date of those dreadful deeds which closed in the fearful catas- trophe of their sister Emma’s murder, that we now peep into their chamber and behold them seated together at the window. It was the hour of noon, and the September sun was shining gloriously upon the wild expanse of scenery that embraced so many and such varied features of interest. There was the charming city of Geneva, there was that crescent-shaped inland sea, there were the eminences on the opposite shore, dotted with villages, farmhouses, and villas, and there, too, were the snow-capped Alpine heights in the distance. But the two young ladies beheld nought of all that interesting scene; their eyes were fixed upon vacancy, and there was nothing in their thoughts. At the same time Mrs. Owen and Mary were wending their way from Geneva toward the lunatic asylum. A month had elapsed since they had arrived in the republican city, and each day they had called at Doctor Dupont’s establishment to ascertain whether that gentleman would permit them to see Agatha and Julia. Hitherto, however, he had been compelled to interdict such a meeting, under the apprehension that it might tend most alarmingly to unsettle the minds of his patients. On the one hand, it was possible that Agatha and Julia might not recognize their (Cl) nn) GDoOo <Si nin